Such a contrast made He Song's curiosity unavoidable.
Is this person really the Foundation Establishment female cultivator who presided over the entire auction twenty years ago?
If so, what had happened to her that transformed her into her current state?
If not,
What is the relationship between this person and that one?
He Song's doubts arose mainly because he hadn't paid much attention to the Foundation Establishment female cultivator who presided over the whole auction back then.
Moreover, he hadn't memorized her aura.
Thus, he could only judge her based on her voice and figure now.
When cultivators interact, once they memorize each other's cultivation aura, even if they meet again after many years, they can still recognize each other at a glance.
However, expecting a Core Formation True Lord to memorize another's cultivation aura without any prior connection was truly asking too much.
And precisely because of this,
He Song hadn't paid attention to that Foundation Establishment female cultivator back then.
He even thought that they would never meet again.
Under such circumstances, how could He Song possibly have remembered her cultivation aura?
This time, when He Song asked her to raise her head, it was to verify his thoughts.
If this person really is that Foundation Establishment female cultivator,
then before the start of the auction, he might hear some interesting stories.
As He Song spoke,
Little Qing, who had been standing respectfully with her head bowed, slowly raised her head.
The next moment, an absolutely beautiful face appeared before He Song.
Unfortunately,
In the world of cultivation, all practitioners possess exquisite appearances. Such beauty might outshine everyone in the mortal realm,
but in the cultivation world, it could only be considered average.
It wasn't that she wasn't beautiful.
It's just that everyone was good-looking, making her no longer stand out.
However, Little Qing's eyes, filled with confusion and doubt, along with her delicate features, led He Song to reach a conclusion.
This Little Qing is indeed the Foundation Establishment female cultivator who presided over the entire auction twenty years ago.
Although He Song hadn't memorized Little Qing's cultivation aura and hadn't cared about meeting her again,
he had seen her face.
Naturally, with just one look now, He Song recalled Little Qing's performance during the auction.
"It turns out it's you."
"Twenty years ago, you were still presiding over the auction."
"How did you end up here now?"
Facing Little Qing, a Foundation Establishment True Person who posed little threat to him, He Song chose to directly question her to resolve his doubts.
At this moment, Little Qing, who had been looking up at He Song with confusion and doubt in her heart,
suddenly heard He Song mention that he recognized her and clearly stated her past role as the auction host.
She, who had been wondering why He Song suddenly asked her to raise her head,
immediately understood the reason.
It seems
He Song still has some impression of her.
Then again,
She had hosted the auction in front of countless practitioners.
As a practitioner, her memory naturally far exceeds that of ordinary people.
After seeing her once, they probably wouldn't forget for many years.
Under such circumstances, it was normal for He Song to remember her.
With these thoughts flashing through her mind, the confusion and doubt in Little Qing's eyes disappeared instantly.
Instead, she showed a hint of realization.
"To be remembered by a senior like you makes this junior feel honored."
"However, every decade, our Treasure Gathering Pavilion holds a large-scale auction, and different disciples take turns hosting it."
"The fact that you saw me hosting the auction twenty years ago was simply because it was my turn."
"This time, I am here for the same reason."
"Please come in quickly, Senior. If there is anything you need, this junior will do everything in my power to assist you."
Little Qing saluted He Song with clasped hands, speaking quite frankly.
She harbored no resentment due to the difference between her former and current status.
Furthermore, she informed He Song that it was simply a rotation, with no other underlying reasons.
Regarding this,
He Song didn't say more, merely nodding at her before entering the luxurious box in front of him.
The box where the Core Formation True Lord resided was indeed better than the one He Song had stayed in twenty years ago, offering a superior view, being more spacious, and decorated extremely luxuriously.
Various spiritual materials adorned the interior of the box, and dense spiritual energy flowed in from all directions.
If one's cultivation hadn't reached the Core Formation stage, merely staying in seclusion here would allow rapid growth in cultivation.
However, He Song only glanced at these things without paying too much attention.
These external objects
had lost their appeal to He Song now.
Currently,
what attracted He Song's attention were primarily the items up for auction.
And the reason why Little Qing, who used to be the auction host, had become a mere maid now.
He Song didn't know the full extent of the items up for auction, but by asking Little Qing beside him, he would naturally find out.
At that time, He Song could decide which items to bid on according to his needs.
However, the change in Little Qing's identity
piqued He Song's curiosity somewhat.
Although Little Qing's words seemed reasonable,
to He Song, they were full of holes.
One must know,
He Song had already had numerous entanglements with the Treasure Gathering Pavilion back when he was at the Foundation Establishment stage.
Not only had he killed a branch pavilion master of the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, but he also became close friends with two others from the pavilion.
Later, having entered the Core Formation stage, Luo Jing and Yun Jing, with whom He Song was close, had now each become masters of their respective main pavilions of the Treasure Gathering Pavilion.
Over the years, He Song had maintained contact with Luo Jing and Yun Jing.
Even after they became masters of their respective main pavilions, communication with He Song had not diminished.
Occasionally, they would discuss matters concerning the operations of the Treasure Gathering Pavilion with He Song.
For instance,
the large auctions held every ten years,
the reward and punishment measures within the Treasure Gathering Pavilion,
and how to maintain dignity as the master of the Treasure Gathering Pavilion.
He Song had heard plenty about all sorts of things over the years.
Under such circumstances, He Song had a detailed understanding of the operational logic and internal situation of the Treasure Gathering Pavilion.
Therefore, He Song knew that the host of the large-scale auction held every ten years by the Treasure Gathering Pavilion generally wouldn't change.
Once it changed,
there must be a reason.
Perhaps, she had offended the pavilion master.
Or perhaps, a major mishap occurred while hosting the auction.
Or maybe, there were other various reasons.
In short, it was definitely not as simple as Little Qing said, just a rotation of identities.
Because of this, He Song developed an impression of Little Qing's ability to lie effortlessly.
However, if he were to expose her lies, how would she react?
With this thought in mind, He Song sat down inside the box after entering.
He called for Little Qing to introduce the various precious items at this auction.
In response,
Little Qing quickly came forward to carry out the order, continuously telling He Song about the many treasures in this auction.
These treasures included items needed by Qi Refining practitioners, Foundation Establishment practitioners, and even Core Formation practitioners.
As someone from the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, facing a Core Formation True Lord like He Song who came to participate in the auction, she naturally couldn't just introduce items for Core Formation practitioners.
In case He Song had juniors whose cultivation levels weren't high,
these items needed by Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment practitioners could also attract his attention.
As for the items needed by Core Formation practitioners, they were naturally meant for He Song to hear.
Little Qing selectively introduced precious items.
Some less valuable and commonly seen items were skipped altogether.
Thus, the things He Song heard were all extremely rare and precious outside.
The efficacy and rarity of these precious items were evident.
Given this situation,
He Song didn't say much, quietly listening to Little Qing's words and filtering through the listed items in his mind.
Which items he needed,
and which ones were unnecessary to buy.
After imprinting these things in his mind,
as Little Qing finished speaking, a hint of surprise flashed in He Song's eyes.
He had come solely for that unfinished Core Formation puppet.
An unfinished Core Formation puppet would be a significant boost for He Song.
For a practitioner like He Song, who needed to continually strengthen his power and become stronger,
such a means to rapidly enhance his strength and potentially accompany him for many years was something he couldn't possibly pass up.
However, although He Song was determined to obtain this unfinished Core Formation puppet,
the amount of spirit stones he had left him with some unease about whether he could actually secure it.
Currently,
He Song only had around 200,000 to 300,000 mid-grade spirit stones.
Even this amount was accumulated after He Song had spent twenty years in seclusion.
Two hundred to three hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones were not a small amount when it came to purchasing a cultivator's Core or acquiring precious materials for crafting a puppet body. In fact, it was more than sufficient.
But facing such an unfinished Core Formation puppet, He Song's spirit stones seemed somewhat insufficient.
An unfinished Core Formation puppet,
if successfully acquired, would undoubtedly add a significant foundation to a Core Formation sect or family.
Once nurtured, this unfinished puppet could quickly become a true Core Formation puppet with formidable combat power.
Such a puppet would be a tremendous safeguard for a Core Formation sect or family.
If a Core Formation cultivator from the sect or family unexpectedly perished,
this puppet would be their reliance for resurgence.
Precisely because of this,
when He Song learned that such an unfinished Core Formation puppet would appear at this auction,
he immediately headed to Yanyun Prefecture. However, he remained uncertain about whether he could acquire it.
After all, if he received the news,
how could the surrounding great Core Formation forces or families,
or even those from further away, not receive it?
Compared to those Core Formation families or sects, He Song's amount of spirit stones would surely fall short.
He Song was just one person earning spirit stones.
Though his exceptional skills allowed him to earn spirit stones at a terrifying speed,
how many practitioners are there in a Core Formation family or sect?
A large number of practitioners earning spirit stones together would likely be much faster than He Song.
Though larger forces would have greater annual expenses,
even so, their accumulated wealth over countless years couldn't compare to what He Song had amassed in twenty years.
Thus,
in He Song's mind, securing this unfinished Core Formation puppet would be extremely difficult.
Just as He Song was thinking this way,
while listening to Little Qing introducing the major items at the auction,
a glimmer of hope rekindled in He Song's heart.
This auction
featured numerous items.
Besides that unfinished Core Formation puppet,
He Song also heard about some items he was very interested in from Little Qing.
For instance,
the Core Formation Body Tempering method he had long desired.
For instance,
a cultivator's Core he had encountered by chance at the last auction.
For instance,
a Water Spirit Essence he had accidentally found in the Canglan Secret Realm.
These items were quite valuable to He Song.
Whether it was the Core Formation Body Tempering method or the cultivator's Core appearing again at this auction,
or the Water Spirit Essence he had found but dared not use,
when these items truly appeared before He Song, truly present at this auction,
He Song developed a strong interest in them.
To the point that
the appearance of the cultivator's Core instantly made He Song abandon his original target—the unfinished Core Formation puppet.
An unfinished Core Formation puppet, even if successfully crafted into a true Core Formation puppet,
was not crafted by his own hands, and he was unfamiliar with its conditions.
What if the completed Core Formation puppet turned out to be weak? What then?
What if there were various flaws on the unfinished Core Formation puppet affecting its combat power? What then?
Considering these factors, that unfinished Core Formation puppet, in He Song's eyes, was certainly less appealing than a cultivator's Core.
End of Chapter